Video ink jet printers are used throughout the packaging field to print information concerning a product on product packages in many different industries. For example, information including product names, identification numbers, automatic production counts, time and date of manufacture, location of manufacture, expiration date, or other encoded information can be printed on the outer portion of the packaging. Video ink jet printers may be mounted on a production line to mark products at high speed as they pass along the production line. Examples of ink jet coder systems for cigarette packages and cigarette cartons are described in WO 99/51500 and WO 99/51498 which are incorporated herein by reference.
Examples of some of the video ink jet printers which are available for printing on products in production lines are those manufactured by Marconi Data Systems Inc. The ink jet heads of these printers and other printers require periodic maintenance and cleaning to remove dried ink. To clean the printer heads the heads are generally removed from the printer, rinsed with a cleaning solution including various solvents, and then dried with compressed air to remove the cleaning solution. During rinsing, the printer head is generally held over a tray or sink and sprayed with the cleaning solution. Excess cleaning solution is collected in the tray or sink below the printer head. The evaporation of the cleaning solution from the printer head and the tray or sink during the drying process may expose personnel to solvent vapors.
The cleaning solutions include one or more solvents, such as acetone, ethanol, and other chemicals for which OSHA has defined permissible exposure limits. The exposure of the personnel performing the cleaning to OSHA regulated chemicals can be reduced by the use of respiratory protection equipment. However, other personnel in the vicinity may not be protected. In addition, the respiratory protection equipment is cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear.
It would be desirable to provide a system and method to limit exposure of all personnel to solvents during the cleaning of printer heads without requiring the use of respiratory protection equipment.